Ludendorff was born on April 9, 1865, near Posen, Prussia (now Poznan, Poland). He attended military school and became an officer. He quickly rose through the ranks. Ludendorff was put in charge of mobilizing the troops and figuring out where they should go.

Ludendorff was appointed as Paul von Hindenburg’s chief of staff shortly after the start of World War I. The two men were able to push Russia out of East Prussia at the Battle of Tannenberg in August 1914. Their victory brought them great fame.

From March to June 1918 Ludendorff successfully led four major offensives, or attacks, in France. In July he began an offensive at the Second Battle of the Marne. After a few days the Germans were forced to retreat. Ludendorff resigned his post in October. The war was over by November.

The German government collapsed after its defeat in World War I. A new government, called the Weimar Republic, was formed. Ludendorff took part in two attempts to overthrow the new German government. He also developed the theory of “total war,” which was published as Der Totale Krieg (The Nation at War) in 1935. Ludendorff died on December 20, 1937, in Munich, Germany.

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